22. South Africa — 19.8%

REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

19.8% of the population smokes in South Africa, but it's skewed more toward men, and 32.1% of men smoke, against 7.4% of women.

The OECD says: "Tobacco is a major risk factor for at least two of the leading causes of premature mortality — cardiovascular diseases and cancer, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, lung cancer, cancers of the larynx and mouth, and pancreatic cancer, among others."

21. South Korea — 19.9%

REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak

In South Korea, 19.9% of the population smokes, again with a bias towards men — 36.2% of men to just 4.3% of women.

The OECD says: "Smoking prevalence is higher among men than among women in all OECD countries except in Sweden and Iceland."

20. UK — 20%

REUTERS/Toby Melville

The UK still smokes more than average for the OECD, despite smoking rates declining. Twenty percent of the population smokes — 22% of men and 19% of women.

The OECD says: "On average, smoking rates have decreased by about one fourth since 2000, from 26% in 2000 to 20% in 2013."

19. Switzerland — 20.4%

REUTERS/Valentin Flauraud

23.1% of men smoke in Switzerland, against 17.8% of women.

The OECD says: "People in less affluent social groups have a greater prevalence and intensity of smoking, a higher all-cause mortality rate and lower rates of cancer survival. The influence of smoking as a determinant of overall health inequalities is such that, if the entire population was non-smoking, mortality differences between social groups would be halved."

18. Slovenia — 20.5%

REUTERS/Srdjan Zivulovic

In Slovenia 22.6% of men smoke and 18.4% of women smoke.

Like the UK, smoking is banned in all enclosed spaces and you must be over 18 to smoke.

17. Germany — 20.9%

REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

Just over a quarter of German men smoke, 25.1%, and 17.1% of German women smoke.

Like in many countries in Western Europe, smoking is becoming less fashionable among the young. Between 2000 and 2013, the proportion of 12- to 17-year-olds in Germany smoking fell from 27.5% to 12%, according to a government study.

9. France — 24.1%

REUTERS/Charles Platiau

In France, 28.7% of men smoke, while 20.2% of women do.

The Local writes: "Smoking in France was so much of an issue scientists have even invented a name for it: the French paradox. The paradox consists how the French seem to smoke so many cigarettes but don't appear to be affected by their adverse effects at the same rate as their European counterparts."

8. Russia — 24.2%

REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

Russia has a huge difference in smoking rates between men and women: 45.1% of men smoke, against just 10.5% of women.

7. China — 25.5%

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Smokers in China are pretty much all men. Just shy of half of all Chinese men smoke: 49%. Only 2% of women smoke by comparison.

The Chinese tobacco industry produces over 2.3 trillion cigarettes every year. China's total production of cigarettes accounts for 40% of the world’s total — about four times more than the US, the second-largest tobacco-producing country, according to a 2012 paper on China's tobacco industry.

6. Estonia — 26%

REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

36.3% of Estonian men smoke and 18.3% of women.

Smoking has been banned in public places since 2005, and restaurants and cafes since 2007, although smoking rooms are prevalent.

4. Chile — 29.8%

REUTERS/Luis Hidalgo

33.7% of men smoke compared to 27% of women.

AFP reports that the government is currently considering a tough new antismoking law that would force plain packaging, restrict smoking in parks and on beaches, and ban menthol cigarettes, which are smoked by 40% of all tobacco users.

3. Latvia — 34.3%

REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

Latvia is one of only a few countries on the list where over 50% of men smoke — 52% to be precise. Just 17.6% of women smoke.

Black-market cigarettes make up an estimated 30% of the market, according to estimates, and 21% of Latvians admit to buying illegal alcohol, cigarettes, or gasoline in the past year, according to magazine The Baltic Course.

2. Indonesia — 37.9%

REUTERS/Junaidi Hanafiah

The gender gap in Indonesia is astonishing: A staggering 71.8% of men smoke, against just 4% of women.

Indonesia has taken some measures on tobacco control, including higher taxes and the implementation of pictorial warnings on cigarette packs, but is the only country in Asia not to have ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

The FCTC offers guidelines on reducing supply and demand to reduce tobacco use by 30% by 2025, Jakarta Globe reports.

1. Greece — 38.9%

REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

The biggest smokers in the OECD are the Greeks: 43.7% of men smoke in Greece and 34% of women do.